Free All The Beautiful People (A Dread Novel Book 1) by Jonathan Yanez

kidnapped and murdered changed her outlook on life forever.
    “What happened to you?” Jason asked.
    “Someone close to me died. I woke up.”
    “You woke up? What does that even mean?”
    “It means that the world is cruel place. Anybody that tells you different is either lying or selling something.”
    Jason was about to reply when a technician approached the plastic. With one hand the female technician parted the see-through material with a soft crinkling sound. “You two are cleared to go. Mr. Treadstone sent down a message saying he wants to see you right away.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 13
     
     
    “Sweet Mary,” Wade said. He sat in his chair rubbing his temples while Taylor and Jason finished relaying their story. “How long were the boyfriend and the other girl on the field unconscious before they showed symptoms?”
    “Minutes,” Jason said.
    Wade sat quiet, his eyes moving between Taylor and Jason. He wasn’t simply digesting the new information. Taylor knew he was deciding what to do with them now. If Lazarus was trying to keep a lid on what was really happening, then they were liabilities.
    Taylor was comfortable with the silence. She sat in her seat giving every indication she was at ease and waiting to be told what to do next. Her hands were folded in her lap like a student waiting for instruction.
    This was all an act. As the trio sat in the air-conditioned office, the clean scent of varnish permeating the area around Wade’s bookcases and desk, Taylor sat coiled. One of two things was about to happen. Either they would be deemed as assets to the company and kept around to be used as such, or they would be labeled as loose ends and snipped off.
    “What happened to the other teams?” Jason asked. He gave off all the same physical hints of relaxation as she was, but Taylor knew he wasn’t acting, he actually was relaxing.
    Taylor played out the events in her mind in slow motion. Wade would reach into his pocket to pull out a concealed handgun. That or his hand would disappear into a desk drawer under the false pretense of showing them a file.
    Taylor’s plan was simple. In one motion she would grab the chair behind her and use the gathered momentum of standing to fling the wooden seat at Wade. It would buy her a second, maybe two. That would be enough. A second was all she needed to be over the desk slamming her fist into his face. He wouldn’t get a shot off.
    All of this flashed through Taylor’s mind as she sat with a tentative expression on her face. Wade drew a deep, tired breath. Instead of reaching for a concealed weapon, he placed both hands on the desk and answered Jason’s question.
    “No other team came back. You’re it.”
    “No other Cleaner or Operator made it back?” Taylor asked in shock.
    Wade shook his head slowly, his eyes somewhere else. He stared behind them into a nightmare world he had a hand in creating.
    “We’ve lost contact with them all. We need every asset cooperating on deck for what is coming next. I know you must have a dozen questions about Vanidrum—what it’s doing, how to stop it—and I’ll answer them all. The Board is issuing a statement to the government now.” Wade ran a hand through his thick hair. “How did we let it get this far?” he muttered to himself.
    Taylor and Jason sat quiet. They knew the question was rhetorical. The past decisions Wade was recalling would be his to carry forever.
    “We need both of you,” Wade said, snapping out of whatever dream he was in and back to the nightmare they all called reality.
    “What needs to be done?” Jason asked.
    Taylor practically heard the Boy Scout in his voice. In the short time she had spent with Jason, Taylor knew he was a true believer, a diligent subscriber to the morals and ethics she’d abandoned long ago.
    Wade nodded to Jason, then looked to Taylor, “And you, Ms. Hart? Prior to divulging any further information I need to know you are with us in this. All